Tidal magnetism viewed from space

This is the European Space Agency's spectacular new view of ocean tides as they sweep around the Earth. The movie shows not the bulging movement of water directly, but rather its magnetic signature. As the Moon pulls the salty seas through our planet's global magnetic field, electric currents are generated. And these currents then induce their own magnetic signals, which have now been mapped in exquisite detail by a trio of Esa satellites known as Swarm.

Video courtesy of Esa/Planetary Visions